IDA-WBG Implementation Support Mission Visits PMU

PROJECT REVIEW MEETING:

The Mission of International Development Association of the World Bank Group (IDA-WBG) comprising Senior Water Resource Specialist, Sheikh Javed Ahmed; Environmental Specialist, Ms. Rahat Jabeen and Social Safeguards Specialist, Ms. Najam-us-Sahar reviewed the implementation status of the project activities with the PMU team on October 24-25, with reference to the actions agreed during the last Mission of August 2017. The participants discussed the implementation arrangements, challenges, opportunities, solutions and way forward. The specialists and the team briefed the Mission regarding the status of their areas and discussed the challenges and progress. The matching grants, social safeguards and environmental specialists and monitoring and evaluation specialist delivered presentations on the status of their components’ progress and discussed processes, challenges and upcoming activities with their counterparts in IDA. The Mission and project management provided component specific feedback. The Mission emphasized the need for expediting the pace of project implementation, through short team work planning to enable a decisive breakthrough in project implementation, while ensuring quality standards.

IDA-WBG Mission Meets The Farmers’ Organization Representatives

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION:

The PIU, Sibbi team including the Deputy Project Director, Nari basin, Sikander Zehri, officials of Agriculture Department and the recently elected representatives of the project’s first Farmers’ Organization (FO) formed in the Bakhra Ghulam Bolak scheme site in the Nari River Basin participated in a meeting with the Implementation Support Mission of International Development Association of the World Bank Group (WBG-IDA) in the project management unit (PMU), Quetta on October 25. The Mission comprising Senior Water Resource Specialist, Sheikh Javed Ahmed; Environmental Specialist, Ms. Rahat Jabeen; and Social Safeguards Specialist, Ms. Najam-us-Sahar comprehensively discussed the process of FO formation with the FO representatives. The Mission and PMU component leads highlighted the pivotal roles and responsibilities of FO as a community based organization, for effective management of the project functions. They responded to the questions by the FO representatives. The recently selected FO Chairman and representatives of FO informed that the pavement of the water courses and channels as part of the project’s development initiatives will drastically reduce water losses by 100 percent in their area. This, along with the improved speed of water will multiply the irrigation capacity through expanded irrigation of thousands of acres of the arid lands. The project component representatives, including from the irrigation, agriculture, forest, matching grants, environment and gender discussed their area specific interventions. The FO representatives expressed support for the project initiatives in their area.

Our First Farmer’s Organization Formed!

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION:

We feel pleased to share that the project’s first Farmers’ Organization (FO) was formed in the Nari river basin on October 21, 2017 in the Bakhra Ghulam Bolak area scheme site in the Sibi district. The Social Safeguards Specialist elaborated the process and structure of FOs during the introductory session. Representatives of the irrigation, agriculture and forest departments and PIU staff explained the component specific project activities. Subsequently, 58 members of General Body of the FO elected the nine FO Executive Body members, including Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Finance Secretary and five members. The FO was formed under Balochistan BIDA Act 1997. The Regional Forest Officer and PIU team including Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Irrigation, SDO Public Health Engineering (PHE) and PIU colleagues participated in the whole process. Initially, two different Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) of Bakhra Ghulam Bolak 1 and 2 were formed. These WUAs were federated into FO, in consonance with the two tier process of social mobilization.

Gender Mainstreaming Initiated

ORIENTATION AT SITE:

The BIWRMDP Gender Specialist, Ms Sara Khan initiated the project’s field based gender activities by delivering a gender orientation session to the 29 women participants of the Bakhra Ghulam Bolak scheme site, in the Nari river basin, in district Sibbi. Gender Specialist emphasized on the need for involvement and engagement of women in the project activities, while stressing mainstreaming of the largely vulnerable women in the socio-economic domains. She highlighted the pivotal role of women in successful implementation of the project’s activities. The Specialist assessed the gender specific needs, capabilities and opportunities for the women in the project, including in the matching grants. She also explained the structure of Farmers’ Organization and its role in project implementation. The women expressed the need for the provision of livestock through matching grants, because they lacked sufficient land for agriculture, and could easily manage livestock care in homes along with managing of household responsibilities.

Preparatory Meeting for Formation of Farmers’ Organization

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION:

The BIWRMDP PMU team comprising Social Safeguards Specialist, Arif Khilji, Gender Specialist Sara Khan and Communications Specialist participated in a preparatory meeting for formation of the project’s first Farmers’ Organization (FO) in the Nari gorge sub-project, Bakhra Ghulam Bolak scheme site in Sibbi district on October 20th.The PIU Sibbi team including SDO Irrigation, Junaid Gichki and representatives of the agriculture,forest andpublic health engineering departments participated in the interactive session. The Social Safeguards Specialist comprehensively discussed the process of FO formation. Gender Specialist provided orientation on the gender action plan and emphasized on mainstreaming gender, especially the largely vulnerable women in the project activities.  The Communications Specialist briefed the participants regarding the pivotal need of communication and documentation for informing, motivating and involving stakeholders for enhanced visibility and outreach. The management subsequently discussed the administrative and logistics arrangements for the event, with Agriculture Officer, Sibbi, Khurram Baig, taking the lead.